Hindsight
by KataHime
Summary: Her first case in seven years has some disastrous effects. Two Teams AU, GJA


**Hindsight**

**Summary: Her first case in seven years has some disastrous effects.**

**A/N: Set in the Two Teams AU universe**

They say that hindsight is 2020. One minute, one moment, one decision could have life-long consequences. She took the shootout in the abandoned diner as proof of that. One misstep, one missed shot, and she was sure she would be dead. Had the gunshots not killed her, the tumor pressing on her frontal lobe would've made sure she'd done herself in recklessly. Taking a step back to re-evaluate her life choices after those harrowing months of recovery, she'd made the conscientious decision to step down as Director.

* * *

Her first case is simple enough. Dead Marine found at a bar by the bartender. It seems pretty open and shut. Except the cameras don't record anything and witnesses were scarce. It was fine, they'd find another way to find the evidence they needed, but the time crunch was ever-present.

It's a long few days. She's running on coffee and adrenaline with the odd hour of sleep here and there. Her team, she lets go home; they deserved it. But she's still at HQ late into the night, well past midnight before she lets Jethro drag her home for an hour or so of restless sleep. _She had so much to prove_, she wanted to yell at him. And yet with a look, she knew he understood. She had to show SecNav and Vance that they were right in their decision.

But she understood his concern because as much as she wasn't sleeping, neither was Abby. Their Gothic lover was completely on her side, enthusiastic to help her in any way she could, even if that meant sacrificing sleep. And it's another matter altogether to get the woman to leave her lab; they both knew that when she was fixated on a case, she was never far from her lab, choosing to sleep on her futon. She knew it was her fault, if she wasn't so fixated then Abby wouldn't be. She would come home with them, or at the very least Jethro, instead of staying in her lab.

And maybe that was why she blamed herself for what happens.

* * *

She rarely ever leaves her lab, preferring the safety and comfort it provided. And yet the moment she saw photos of the crime scene, she'd wanted to go see; it's not about the gore, never about the gore. She was always a sucker for Gothic design, and the bar's architecture was amazing. She just _had _to go.

She pleaded with Jen to let her join them in collecting the laptop, assuring her that she could get the backup security footage in no time at all. And okay so maybe she threw in a pout that she didn't need, but Jen had relented with a sigh.

It's such a quick job, barely 10 minutes. Not even the hinky bartender could put a damper on her mood. Once she was done, she could have a better look around and get a better feel for the atmosphere.

She's working on transferring data from the bar's computer to a flash drive when she feels the gun against her back. She stiffens, her hands pausing on the keys. _The bartender did it?_

"Don't move," she froze, her hands on the keyboard, feeling the gun dig into her back, "Now I want you to turn around slowly," she did so and found the gun level with her chest, "You scream and I'll shoot."

"Please," she held her hands in front of her, ice-cold fear seeping in, "I won't say anything; put the gun down. Please."

"Shut up!" he snarled, "Delete everything off the computer, wipe it."

"I will. I promise. Can you just put the gun down? Please."

"Do as I say!" He waved the gun wildly.

She flinched, turning back to the computer, her fingers typing as fast as possible.

* * *

Something didn't feel right. Her gut was screaming at her. She turned back to the bar, and Quinn turned with her. Reeves was still re-interviewing witnesses across the street; Bishop was in MTAC, trying to get information from the commanding officer, and Torres was in autopsy with Ducky and Jimmy, seeing what they had on the body. Abby was alone with the "hinky" bartender, Jason Echols, who'd originally found the dead petty officer. It would have been simpler for them to collect the laptop and bring it back to NCIS, but Abby had wanted to go to the crime scene because of the bar's gothic theme. A lab rat shouldn't be out in the field, especially not _her _lab rat, but Abby was persistent. Against her better judgment, she'd allowed it, not one to deny Abby much of anything within reason.

"She's fine." Quinn reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's just getting security footage."

"Something doesn't feel right."

"I thought Gibbs was the only one letting his gut do his talking."

She ignores the comment, nerves setting in, and she resisted the urge to wring her hands together, "She's not a field agent," she said as Reeves joined them for a sit rep, already moving towards the bar's front entrance, "I'll wait with her until she's done."

* * *

"It's done." He nudged her aside to make sure. She slowly stepped back, "Please put the gun..."

He looked up at her, a cold smirk on his lips, "Put it what? Down? You think I'm just going to let you walk out of here?"

Her mind was racing, trying to stall, judging the distance between the counter and the front door, weighing the odds of making a run for it, "You haven't done anything you can't come back from."

"That line of thinking went out the window when I killed Jennings."

"You don't have to…"

"Shut up!" He shoved the barrel of the gun towards her, and she flinched despite herself, "I can't let you just walk out of here."

"Please…" She tried again, but he frowned at her, firing. She felt the bullet rip through her chest and then she was falling.

* * *

The sound of gunfire had her racing into the bar, gun drawn; she heard Quinn and Reeves immediately follow her.

"Abby!" She called out.

She saw the bartender dart from behind the counter, heard the laptop crash to the ground. He was already on the move, slipping through the back.

"I've got him! Go!" Quinn shouted, taking off after him without a glance back.

She raced over to the black-haired angel as fast as she could, "_Abby_!" There was so much blood, seeping out onto the hardwood floor. She dropped to her knees, pressing her hands to the wound, desperate to stop the bleeding. "You're going to be fine. Stay with me, Abbs."

"Jen..." Her voice was wobbly, and she could recognize the signs of shock.

"Ambulance is on its way," She heard Reeves say, but her entire focus on Abby and keeping her from moving, keeping her awake.

"I...you..." Her breathing was coming out labored, and she felt her heart skip several beats.

"You do _not_ have permission to die, do you hear me?"

"Hurts…"

"I know; don't move," She wanted to stroke her cheek, to provide her with some kind of comfort, but she couldn't let up on the pressure. She could feel the blood desperately trying to seep out between her hands, sticky and warm.

"Scared."

"Everything's going to be ok, Abby." As she spoke the words, all she wanted was for them to be true.

"Love..." Abby started but she cut her off, not wanting to hear some declaration of love because _she was not dying_.

"I know, I know, Abbs." she kept the pressure, "Just listen to my voice." Damn it, where was the ambulance? Abby went still below her, her breathing shallow, "Abby? Abbs, stay awake, sweetie. You're gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine." She kept repeating the words, hoping, willing them to be true.

* * *

When Jethro and his team got to the hospital, having been out on another case, she was pacing in the hallway outside the waiting room. Her team was sitting inside the room with Ducky and Jimmy, quiet, watching their team leader berate herself. She knew Ducky had tried to comfort her when he had gotten here, tried and failed because this was her fault, and not even his grandfatherly words could help ease her guilt. Tony and the rest of Team Gibbs joined her team as Gibbs approached the redhead. He led her a safe distance away from the others, out of sight.

This wasn't like her, and they both knew it. She was calm in all situations, calm because she had to be, trained herself to be, hell, her job as Director had required it. But now, now she was just another field agent. No, more than that. She was a worried girlfriend whose partner was having major surgery to fix a problem she had caused.

"Where is she?"

"Surgery."

"How long?"

"They said 2 hours," she chuckled bitterly, "My first case leading a team in seven years and I get our girlfriend shot. That'll look great on the performance review."

He gently cupped her cheek, "Are you gonna look at me?"

She turned into his touch. Angry, puffy jade eyes met his blue, "This is my fault, Jethro. I left her alone."

"You couldn't have known."

"Every instinct was telling me something was wrong but I was outside when she was in danger." She tried to move away from him.

He grasped her arms, holding her gently, though she knew he'd release her if she truly wanted it, "Hey, hey! Jen, you didn't know."

"All I could see was her bleeding out on the floor," She whispered the words, genuine terror eclipsing her voice as she looked at him again, "There was so much blood, Jethro."

He looked down at her hands, stained with Abby's blood, "And you moved fast from what Alex told me." He wiped her tears away, pulling her into a hug. "She's going to make it. She's a fighter." He stroked her hair, his hold tightening slightly as his voice dropped, just barely as he struggled not to let it crack, "I need you to help me be strong, Jen."

She pulled from the hug to see the same fearful look in his eyes; he was just as worried; this was worse for him, she realized. He'd already lost so much. She wasn't sure he could lose Abby; she cupped his face gently, "I've got you, Jethro."

He smiled softly, "Got each other, don't we?"

She returned the smile, watery as it may be, "Yeah."

* * *

It was nearly another hour before they heard anything. She sat next to him, resisting grabbing his hand; he kept an arm around her, signing against her shoulder, though she doubted anyone knew it was sign; in fact, she wasn't sure if anyone knew that she signed, as out of practice as she'd been.

"Family of Abigail Sciuto?" And she's waiting to hear the words "_We did all we could"_ or "_I'm sorry, she didn't make it_." How many times had the Goth wondered the same thing when any team member was sent to the hospital?

"Her family is in New Orleans," Jethro's voice is strong, commanding, and it grounds her. "I'm Jethro Gibbs, her emergency contact."

"Of course. Would you like to speak privately or?"

Jethro shook his head, "They're family too."

With a nod, the doctor continued, "Miss Sciuto is extremely lucky. Another few centimeters and the bullet would've struck her heart; it nicked her lung, but we managed to repair the damage. It also came close to her spinal cord, but there shouldn't be any lasting damage, she'll just have to take it easy for about a week. She coded on the table but we got her back. She's a fighter alright."

"When can we see her?" She forces her voice to not shake, to breathe normally. She feels on the verge of a mental collapse, and the lack of sleep wasn't helping anything.

"She's in recovery right now, asleep, but you can go in a few people at a time."

"Go on, Jen," Alex nudges her slightly. "You first."

"I..." she starts but shakes her head, smiling softly, "Right."

Jethro falls into step beside her and once they're out of sight from their teams does he finally take her hand. She squeezes back as the doctor leads them to Abby's room.

* * *

She was hooked up to an IV drip and heart monitor but other than that, she looked like she was sleeping; if it wasn't for the continuous beeping, she could almost fool herself into thinking everything was okay. Her face was devoid of most of her makeup and her hair was down, fanning over the pillow.

She wasn't aware she had moved until she had Abby's hand in hers, rubbing it. She pressed a kiss to her knuckles, "I'm sorry, Abbs."

"I said to stop blaming yourself," Jethro placed a hand over hers, "Positive thoughts," He quoted their girl, making her smile.

"She's gonna be okay," she said, reassuring herself.

"Damn right."

They stayed there for a few more minutes before letting their teams and then Ducky and Jimmy see her. But still, she found herself sitting in the chair beside her bed after the others had gone, unable to leave her side; Jethro waited outside the room, whether to give her privacy, she didn't know. She couldn't help but go over the scenarios that crossed her mind, each more gruesome and bloody than the last, her mind playing cruel tricks.

She clutched her hand, relishing in the warmth, tracing the infinity symbol on her right forearm. She wished Abby would wake up already, but she knew she would on her own. And yet it was agony.

The bubbly scientist lying so still, a frown on her lips, made her feel guilty, and despite what anyone told her, she knew she was responsible. She had left Abby alone with the killer, without knowing he was the man responsible yes, but she should've had someone waiting in the bar with Abby. _She _should have. Abby had wanted to come along to the crime scene to get the laptop, and she knew she'd be safe. But she still left her alone. She fucked up. And now Abby was lying in this damn bed because of that mistake. All she wanted was for her to open her eyes. She needed to see with her own eyes that she would wake up.

"Jen...?" Emerald eyes fluttered behind closed lids for a moment before she was greeted with the gorgeous sight.

Her voice caught then, her voice a whisper, "I'm so sorry, Abbs."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for." She just nodded her head, tears filling her eyes. Abby reached up to wipe away the few that escaped. "Please stop blaming yourself, Jenny."

"I've been trying to tell her that for the last 4 hours, Abbs," His voice is gentle as he enters the room, pressing a kiss to the Goth's forehead when he reaches her, "She's going to keep doing it no matter what we say. How do you feel?"

"Like I got shot with a 9 mm. Did you get him?"

"Mhmm," he stroked her hair, "Echols is in custody. Confessed when he was being transferred to Metro."

"The laptop…"

"It's been wiped," she said softly, feeling like even more of a failure. The one reason Abby went and all the evidence was gone, "but it's okay. We'll…"

"No," Abby interjected, "I still have it. He made me delete the footage off the laptop, but it's still on the flash drive. He just checked the laptop."

"It'll still have to wait," Gibbs replied, "but that's a good job, Abbs."

* * *

Over the next couple of days, she and her team officially close the case. With Echols' confession and the security footage from the flash drive, he was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years. It didn't feel like enough, especially because of the lack of charges for the assault on Abby, but she had to fight her battles wisely.

"I'm so ready for the weekend," She overheard Nick say as the four were packing up for the night.

"Got a hot date?" Alex teased.

"Nah, Bishop turned me down," he teased right back.

"I'm right here," the blonde's voice held a hint of annoyance.

"Ellie and I were going to get a bite to eat," Clay spoke up, "Would you like to join us?"

"I'm in," Nick readily agreed, and she held back a smirk.

"Quinn?"

"Ah hell, why not?"

She made her way to her desk, starting to pack up. It didn't surprise her that Jethro and his team were already gone, opting for an early night in, though she knew it was because he wanted to check back on Abby; Ducky had been with her most of the day, and that helped them both to focus on their jobs, knowing Ducky would take care of her.

"Did you wanna come, Boss?"

She looked up at Clay's voice, blinking at the word choice. Forget Special Agent. It had been even longer since someone had called her Boss.

"Food, team bonding?" Alex added with a shrug, "might be fun."

She offered them a small smile, "Ah, another time. I'm going to catch up on some sleep."

"Next time," Nick interjected, "and you're buying."

She arched an eyebrow, but chose not to take the bait, "Have a good weekend. See you back in 0800 Monday morning."

* * *

Abby was asleep in her preferred spot when she enters the bedroom, right in the middle of the bed. They'd been lucky that they'd gotten her to cooperate with the doctor's request for bed rest, the promise that they'd be home at a decent time and would supply her with two Caf-Pows a day being a deciding factor.

She knew Jethro was in the basement, and while she could, maybe even should, let him know that she was home, she knew he heard her come in.

After placing her gun and shield in the drawer, she left her phone charging beside Abby's. She was quiet, careful not to wake the slumbering woman. She took a quick shower and changed into her nightclothes, feeling most of the tension ease away.

They say hindsight is 2020. One minute, one moment, one decision could have life-long consequences. As she gently stroked her sleeping angel's hair, she focused her thoughts on the good. Abby was safe, was home. They'd solved the case. She started to fall asleep, physically and mentally exhausted. Abby still had a long road to being 100%, but she was lucky it wasn't worse.

She heard Jethro come into the room as she hovered between consciousness and sleep, felt him slide into bed. Everything was as it should be. The case could've gone up in smoke, and it wouldn't have mattered as long as Abby was safe.


End file.
